Combined ax and brush hook



Nov. 17,1925.

C. B. ERICKSON couamnn AK AND snnsn floox Filed Dec. 31, 1924' Patented Nov, 17?, I925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

CARL B; ERICKSON, or FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF pro THOMAS THOMPSON, or IOLA, WISCONSIN. I

COMBINED AX AND BRUSH HOOK.

Application filed December 31, 1924. Serial No. 759,128. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL B. ERIGKSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fond du Lac, inthe county of Fond du Lac and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Axes and Brush Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n combined axes and brush hooks such as are employed by swampers in felling trees and cutting brush. WVhere an attempt 1s made to cut brush by the blade of an ordinary ax head, the blade is liable to strike stones or other hard objects and be dulled. On the other hand, it is inconvenient to carry both an ax and a brush hook; and therefore the present invention has as its object to provide, in one tool, an ax and a brush hook, and to furthermore provide a novel arrangement of the cutting edges whereby either edge may be employed to the exclusion of the other and without any interference.

Another object of the invention is to so relatively arrange the cutting edges that the ordinary use of the tool as an ax cannot result in any dulling of the cutting edge which constitutes the brush hook, and, on the other hand, the use of the tool as a brush hook cannot result in a dulling of the cutting edge of the ax blade.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a swamp-- ers combined ax and brush hook, the head of which is constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tool; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The head of the tool embodying the invention is indicated by the numeral 1 and is provided with the usual opening 3 to receive the end of the handle indicated by the numeral. 4. At one side of the head the tool is shaped to provide an ax blade indicated by the numeral 5, the cutting edge of this blade being indicated by the numeral 6 and the blade being thinned to its said edge as is customary. In fact, so far as the principles of the invention are concerned, the ax blade 5 may be of any desired size and form.

a curve 8 which, at one endpmerges with the outer end faceof the head 1 at one side of the opening3 in the said magma-"a its other end terminates at the point of the bill, which is indicated by the numeral 9. The bill constitutes the brush hook of the tool and the cutting edge of the hook is indicated by the numeral 10 and is extended on a curved line from the point 9 of the bill to the inner end face of the head 1 at the said side of the opening 3. The cutting edge 10 is provided by beveling, as at 11, one side face of the bill 7, the bevel being substantially concave, as best shown in Fig. 3, and as indicated by the'numeral 12, so that the cutting edge portion of the hook is substantially hollow ground, thereby adapting the cutting edge to be well sharpened. It will be observed that, generally speaking, the cutting edge 10 of the bill 7 is presented in the general direction of the end of the handle 4 which is grasped in the use of the tool and it willbe understoodthat by'engaging the cutting edge behind the stalk of a piece of brush, and exerting a sharp upward pull, the stalk may be readily and conveniently severed. It will, furthermore, be evident that by locating the cutting edge of the bill 7 in the manner illustrated and described, the said edge is well protected against becoming dulled inasmuch as when the ax is set on end, as usual, the said blade is supported clear of the ground. Furthermore,

it will be seen that either cutting edge may be employed to the exclusion of the other and that when either edge is being used the other edge will be presented away from the work so that the use of either edge will not result in any dulling of or injury to the other ed e.

By re erence toFig. 1 of the drawings, it will be observed that the cutting edge 11 of the brush hook is curved'upwardly from its inner end, which end is located substantially in the line of extent of the inner end of the body portion of the head of the tool, to the pointed end 9 of the bill which end of the bill is located outwardly beyond the said inner end of the head and spaced from the line of extent of said end, so that the two ends of the cutting edge touch a line which is inclined with respect to the said line of extent of the inner end of thehe-ad, whereby When the cutting edge is brought into engagement With a stalk to be cut and an up Ward pull isexerted upon thetool, the said edge Will make a slicing cut through thestalk, thereby providing for a more ready severance of the same.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim is:

A combined ax and brush hook c0mpris ing a head provided intermediate its length with a socket opening through its inner and outer side edge faces and adapted to re ceive a handle, one end portion of said head being sharpened at itsend to provide alcut 4 short of the plane of the inner end of said 20 socket, the inner side portion of the lastmentioned end portion of the head being concaved to provide an inwardly curved edge extending from the inner end of the socket and intersecting the said convexed end 25 edge of the head, and said head being beveled along said concaved edge portion to provide a cutting edge.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

CARL B. EBIGKSON. [1 s] 

